


A Duel

by AmyNChan



Series: Birds of a Feather [2]
Category: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: Banter, F/M, I'm still in the middle of this quest, Outdoor Festival, and will probably finish tomorrow, but Talbott is my date and he's adorable, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26594011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyNChan/pseuds/AmyNChan
Summary: This is the most ridiculous idea she's ever heard of.Outdoor Festival Spoilers
Relationships: Player Character/Talbott Winger, Talbott Winger/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Birds of a Feather [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934578
Comments: 14
Kudos: 40





	A Duel

“Dueling Gilderoy Lockheart? Are you _mad_?”

She couldn’t help the emotions that flit across her face and her tone as she asked her question. Truly, he kept surprising her. Maybe that’s why she always picked him. For her first date. For Valentine’s day. For _this_.

“Not yet.” Were those words a tease, or a promise? That look he was giving her—full of confidence and more than a hint of mischief—couldn’t help her decide. “He may be an expert, but so are you. I haven’t seen anyone duel as well as you on Hogwarts grounds.”

“You make it seem like you’ve seen my duels.” Her cheeks were burning, but she wasn’t going to give in. Not just yet. “And those always draw a crowd. You tend not to like those.”

“Crowds aren’t such a problem when you’re in the air.” Ooh. Cryptic words. Anyone else might have been confused, but her lips quirked into a smile against her will. As soon as he saw it, she knew she was in trouble. The mischief in his eye turned downright _sly_ as he eased in closer. Sly… and somehow earnest. “I can’t say I caught every duel you’ve ever had, but I’ve seen enough. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

Her heart thrummed in her chest, pleased with the praise. Her cheeks were aflame, and she felt emboldened rather than shy. She stepped closer, easing into his space as he’d so easily slid into hers. Red eyes widened, and the bravado cracked. Just a little.

In all the teasing, she’d forgotten—just for a moment—that he was just as nervous as she was. And just as anxious for their date to go well. The reminder melted her a little.

“If there’s anyone I’d do this for,” she said, whispering lowly. While Tulip and Charlie might have caught on to their secret date, not everyone on campus needed to know. Some things, after all, were meant to be kept private. “I’d do it for you. You still owe me a dance, remember?”

Talbott’s jaw worked, and she could see a flush beginning to play on his high cheekbones. She always thought he looked regal in his own right, but now she was beginning to wonder how someone who could be so aloof and introverted could do so many wonderful things to her heart.

He’d once said she was better at charming than he was. Somehow, she doubted that.

She quickly glanced about. There were pockets of people here and there, all gossiping about or somehow fawning over their unwanted guest. Amid the chatter and people, she and Talbott were somehow alone. Somehow having just enough privacy.

Smiling, she returned her attention to her date and quickly pushed up on her toes. Her lips were feather-light on his cheek, but when she pulled enough away, the red dusting she had noticed before had blossomed into a beautiful shade.

“I—that—” He scrambled for words, and she smiled. She knew it was impish, and she knew that he knew that. What she didn’t expect were his hands going to his face, effectively hiding his face from the world. “That wasn’t fair.”

“Consider it payback for the face paint.” She smiled as he brought his hands down, a vibrant red playing across his face for her to enjoy. “Besides,” she said, a memory of warm lips feathering against her own cheek from just a few months ago. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

Talbott blinked, his intelligent eyes also harkening back to the memory. “Since Valentine’s Day?”

“Before,” she whispered, a giggle on her breath. Just when she thought he couldn’t get any redder. “You beat me to it, though.”

“Yeah, well…” As her date trailed off, a nervous chuckle on his breath, she knew that she’d pushed as far as she could for now. It was time to ease off and do what needed to be done. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, just to orient herself and accept what had to be done.

“I do want to dance with you,” she whispered, her tone determined. She opened her eyes to find his staring at her, a mixture of embarrassment and pride leaving beautiful markings on his face. She couldn’t have replicated that with face paint if she’d _tried_. “And if I have to duel Gilderoy Lockheart for it, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Talbott’s smile for her was secretive, but she knew triumph when she saw it. Triumph in getting her to agree, yes, but also triumph for a victory he was confident she was about to secure.

“We should probably set up that challenge, then,” said he, beginning to turn towards where the teachers were beginning to congregate around her soon-to-be dueling partner. “Before he starts talking for another eight hours.”

She looked at his posture, a half-turn that was clearly waiting for her to move forward, to his face, to that expression that she knew looked guarded to others but seemed an open book to her. It spoke of excitement, nervousness, confidence, and trust.

She nodded with confidence, and the two of them walked up to the teachers. If she took an extra moment to settle herself so she wouldn’t think about kissing that face just _one_ more time, then that was her business. Maybe she could return to that idea once she and Talbott had gotten their dance.

A smile played on her lips at the thought. _Maybe_.

**Author's Note:**

> She may have lost her little duel with Talbott, but she _will_ take down whatever stands in between her and a dance with her basically boyfriend. XD
> 
> I am 100% sticking this in a collection with the other Hogwarts Mystery fanfic I wrote. XDD I'm sorry, Talbott's just awesome!!


End file.
